The Rockfish Gap Report sets forth goals for developing primary education at the University of Virginia. The claim that a main goal of the institution is to develop the knowledge of one's own rights is incredibly ironic in many ways. In general, as much of the annotations show, the Report claims that equality is a fundamental pillar of higher education. But, the perspective student that is called to "know his rights" is only a white man. Ironically, the group of people that had unlimited civil rights compared to other races is called to to learn even more about its rights.

Philip C. Pendleton, born in what is now West Virginia, was a lawyer who graduated from Princeton University and Dickinson College, continuing the string of well-educated co-signers of the Rockfish Gap Report. While Pendleton was on such Board of Commissioners, disagreed with locating the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, instead calling for the University to be established in Lexington. Surprisingly, although Pendleton opposed the decision that was made by Madison, Jefferson, Monroe and the other members of the committee, John Quincy Adams appointed the West Virginian lawyer as a United States federal judge seven years later.

In the previous sentence, the report reiterates that the United States Constitution "places all sects of religion on equal footing." But, the committee decided to have an ethics teacher take the role of a professor of divinity. In deciding to implant a secular instructor of religion, it is clear that they thought that religion is directly correlated with ethics. By focusing on the ethics of religion, the University could be avoid much of the bias that comes with the mix of the secular and non-secular (church vs. state).

When the United States Constitution was signed in effect on September 17, 1787, the founding fathers set the minimum age for U.S. senators at the age of the 30. Such a provision is still in effect today, just as it was on August 4, 1818. Armistead T Mason, a Republican native to Virginia, served as a U.S. senator from January 3, 1816, to March 4, 1817. At the time, Mason was not legally of age to serve in such a position, as he was only 28. Although this two year gap does not seem important, I question why a senator, who was not legally a senator under the constitution, was a member and signee.